Hanging By a Chain
by A'isha Ishtar
Summary: It didn't matter that she was younger than he was, that she was a liability. She was his damn sister, and she was all he had left. Then suddenly, he has nothing... nothing but one last, little piece of her. Horribly diluted, but still good. So good.
1. Prologue

**Explanation...? Umm, sorry, I don't think I know that word. XD**

**I had written something like this a LOOOOONG time ago, but it kind of sucked so I wanted to redo it. This is the prologue, and the actual story - as in, Thrax and his sister - will begin next chapter. Kay kay? :D**

**Hope you guys like!**

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><p>"Uncle Thrax! Uncle Thrax...?"<p>

The weak, sweet-looking little virus came bounding into the room, where she found the uncle in question lying on the couch. Sleeping, as usual. It seemed like that was all he ever did anymore. He'd never shown her how to take over a body right, like he'd promised. He told her he just needed to rest a while, incubate for a bit, but he should be well rested by now. It'd been weeks!

She pouted, watching his abdomen go up and down as he breathed (and snored, but she promised herself she'd never tell him he did), and crossed her arms. "Uncle Thrax, wake up," she commanded, almost as if she expected that to actually work.

He didn't even stir, just lying there with his left arm over his stomach, wrapped tightly around his DNA chain like it was the most important thing in his life. And it was... except for her, he'd said.

She ran at him, and straddled his waist, shaking him. "UNCLE THRAX WAKE UP ALREADY!" she screamed, practically lifting him up off the couch every time she shook him.

And all at once, he jolted awake. He flailed his arms, but when he realized it was her he just scowled, gave her a gentle shove, and picked her off him. "Scar, baby, what do you think you doin', exactly?" he grumbled, setting her on the floor and sitting up to stretch out.

She stuck out her bottom lip at him. "You weren't awake so I had to wake you up. I did a good job, huh?"

He shook his head, before cracking his neck. "Baby, I don't know what's wrong in that pretty l'il nucleus of yours, but I hope we figure it out fast." He swept her up into his lap and traced her cheek with his infectious claw, though it wasn't activated... not that he hadn't taught the girl what to do if someone came at her. Then he rested head head on top of hers. "Now, what you want, baby girl?"

Scar held onto him tightly, playing with his trench coat. "You said the Immunity Patrol ain't gonna catch us, right, Uncle Thrax?"

"Of course, baby girl. We hid away real good." He ran a hand through her thick black hair; it had come out of the dreadlocks he'd styled it in. He'd have to do them again later. "Now, what would make you ask somethin' like that, hmm?"

She puckered her lips, then laid against him, her head flush against his chest and her eyes closing up halfway. "I was just... thinkin' about my mama again."

Thrax sighed, and slid his palm up and down his niece's back. So there was that ugly memory; it was bound to rear its head sooner or later, for the millionth or so time. "I know, baby girl, I know. I miss her too."

"You told me she was good. She learned from you, and you the best. How come she got found if she was so good?"

"Aw, baby, now..." He held her closer, shutting his eyes as well. "That was all my fault, you know. You remember, right? How I caused _all_ that trouble for your mama?"

"I dunno, Uncle Thrax." She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Will you tell me about that time again?"

He chuckled, and it was a nice, rumbling, warm feeling enveloping Scar's entire little body. "Alright, alright, one more time. But only for you, baby girl - only for you." He laid back as he had been, his head on the arm of the couch and his niece spread out over him. "Let's see, where was I?"

"You left that guy Frank's body," Scar piped up. "And you were on his daughter's eye, and you were gonna go into her and take her down in _twenty-four hours_ 'cause you already took down Frank in _forty-eight hours_." She put special emphasis on the records.

"And I woulda really done it too, if someone hadn'ta gotten _wise_."

Scar bit her lip in anticipation. "Who got _wise_, Uncle Thrax?"

"That bastard Immunity cop... Jones." Thrax flipped back his own dreads before continuing. "So there we both were, having this huge fight on the girl's eye. My good hand..." He held up his left claw for emphasis. "Got iced, so I was tryin' to figure out some way to get it, you know... _un_-iced. There we were, I was goin' blow-for-blow with Jones. Then, _bam!_ - one more hit, and that ice shattered like a bitch, baby."

Scar snuggled deeper into Thrax's chest. "Then what happened, Uncle Thrax?"

"You know what happened, baby." He stroked his long, infectious, non-glowing claw down her back, over and over. "Almost had him strangled, with my sexy little DNA chain here." He draped it loosely across her neck, not tying it but just letting it sit there. "Then she blinked. And we were on the eyelash. I almost had him, with my fire..."

Scar nodded against her uncle, clutching onto his coat. "But it was a falsie, wasn't it, Uncle Thrax?"

"That's right, baby. And my claw got stuck, and just as the falsie was comin' unattached too. And baby, I fell _hard_."

"Where'd you fall?"

"Aw now, you remember that, baby." His hand drifted lazily over her hair, thick and black, just like her mother's. He was still trying to commit that to memory, that he had to redo her dreads again. "Fell into that alcohol, right?"

Scar pouted again. "Yeah. That ain't fair, Uncle Thrax."

"I know it ain't fair, baby, but that's how it is sometimes. Not everything is always fair." He closed his eyes, then took a deep breath. "Just barely crawled out in time, not that Jones would have seen anyway. Too busy gettin' that bead back to the hypothalamus and celebratin'. I was just lyin' there, in a lotta pain, you know. Then this nurse... came over to clean up the alcohol and all. So I got stuck on her finger, then I got into her mouth. I couldn't crawl too far by then, but the patrol in her mouth wasn't that strict anyway. That's when your mama found me."

If it was possible, Scar buried herself even deeper into him. "That was the first time in a long time you seen her, wasn't it?"

"Years, baby... _years_." He didn't elaborate, his voice sounding low and melancholy, just stroking over his niece's hair.

Scar looked back up at him again, noticing that he suddenly looked tired and just... older than he really was. She settled back into him and shifted her head. "Uncle Thrax, will you tell me the _whole_ story of you and Mama? From the beginning to the end?"

"You _know_ about the end, baby." He pulled her closer and took a breath. "But I guess I can tell you anyway. Now, where do I start? Hmm, I guess it would have to _really_ start about fifteen years ago..."

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><p><strong>Yay! Well, actually, not yay when you really find out the story... but hey, you'll see that later.<strong>

**Hmmmmm... drop a review if you want! Let me know how it is so far! 'Cause that keep-a me goin'. XD**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 1

**The first OFFICIAL chapter. The story technically isn't JUST about Thrax and his sister, that's the first arc that leads up to the rest. It's also about Thrax and Scar... I can't WAIT to get to that part, but I love this part too.**

**Thanks to thraxbaby for (1) being the first and only reviewer so far, and (2)... having the COOLEST Thrax-related username I've come across. XD**

**Also, Thrax's sister, her name is pronoucned "Sore-kuh". I made that up a LONG time ago, and I hadn't quite figured out how it should actually be pronounced till now... lol. Thrax calls her "Scorch" a lot because he thinks it sounds cooler than "Sorcha".**

**Hope you guys enjoy! :D**

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><p><em>Fifteen Years Ago...<em>

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><p>"Thrax! Thrax, where you goin'? Can I come?"<p>

Thrax rolled his eyes, hearing his little seven-year-old sister Sorcha rambling along behind him. Why had she even come along in the first place? He hated it, _hated _it, when she followed him around everywhere like a dog cell. "Like it's really any of your business, baby sis, but I'm goin' to the Cellhouse. Gonna start learnin' how to infect bodies and take 'em down."

He heard Sorcha gasp, almost in awe of what he'd just suggested. "Oh my _Jane_!" she squealed, and she ran up next to him, grabbing the bottom of his jacket and just pulling. "Please, Thrax! You _have to_ take me! I wanna come with you and learn how to take down bodies too!"

He scoffed, plucking her off him. "C'mon, Scorch. This is for _me_ and _my_ friends and people who are _my_ age. Mama and Dad say I need to start learnin' - gonna be doin' it too, on my own, by the time I'm thirteen, y'know. I mean, what would everyone else think if I show up, and I got my kid sister taggin' along with me?"

Sorcha pouted. "B-But Thrax! I'm gonna be doin' it soon too, ain't I? I need to get ready! And you can help me 'cause I bet you gonna be _great_!"

Thrax sighed, then turned around, putting his hands on hips. "Alright, Scorch. You know what? Here." He took his jacket off and hung it off her frame. "If you can wear this all that time, and if you can not be embarrassin' for a while, I guess you can come with me. But no stupid questions, a'ight? No stupid questions, no stupid dancin' or anything, and _no_ stupid little girl stuff." As he said each thing, he ticked them off on his claws to make sure she understood, then gave her a look that in their family was called a "You-better-do-what-I-say-or-else-'_buuuuurn-baby-burn_'" look. "You got all that, baby sis?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I promise, I _promiiiiiiise_! Just take me." She slid her arms into the sleeves, which were much too big for her as well. "Um." She held up one arm in what was probably supposed to be a "gangsta" pose, but you couldn't see her fist so the effect was kind of lost. "How do I look?"

He was _so_ close to just losing it, smacking her upside the head, and forgetting those conditions of taking her along, but he just shook his head. "Nah, Scorch, that don't look good. You ain't gonna scare anybody off like that. Here, let me see." He took his jacket back, putting it around himself again. Then he scanned Sorcha up and down, before plucking his shiny new sunglasses from the top of his dreads. "Try these, baby sis." He bent down and placed them on her face, then stood back to admire his work.

They were a little big, so that she had to peer over the tops of the lenses. But overall it didn't look so bad. If she maybe crossed her arms or something like that, people might actually think she was cool. She looked up at him, blinking with those green eyes. "Well? How's that?"

"Not half bad, you know. Do somethin' sassy."

"Umm, okay." She rolled her eyes up into the back of her head for a minute, thinking, then threw one side of her body out and dug her fists into her hips. She completed the "sassy" theme by pursing her lips and, over the sunglasses, giving him a look that rather clearly said, _"What YOU lookin' at, nasty face? Get goin'!"_

He grinned. "Yeah baby sis, that's great. You be showin' moxie and all that, you'll be fine." He grabbed her wrist. "But let's get goin', okay? We only got a few minutes before it starts. Let's hit the gas, baby sis."

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><p>"You jerk! I'm gonna kick you in the throat! <em>I'ma kick you in the ding-dong throat<em>!"

Not even three minutes in, and Thrax was already having to grab Sorcha from attacking somebody. He had her lifted into the air, arms wrapped around her stomach and trying to hold her back, but she was kicking and clawing at the other guy. "Would you stop it!" he shouted. "You gonna get us tossed out! Calm down!"

"It's not fair!" she screamed, and one would think she was dying, that noise was obviously being made at the top of her lungs. "It's not fair! That jerk tripped me on purpose! He just stuck his foot right out like 'at!"

"_Life_ ain't fair, Scorch!" Thrax finally succeeded in swiveling Sorcha over so she was on the other side of him. "Hey, I'm sorry about this, man, she a little crazy right now. I took her to the Teeth before we came here - lotta sugar up there, y'know, she probably absorbed a little too much."

The other pathogen just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Keep her away from me."

"Yeah, yeah." With that, Thrax turned back around and grabbed Sorcha's wrist again. "Come here." He dragged her into a corner of the room and knelt down to her height. "Now, Sorcha-"

"_What_?" Sorcha scowled, crossing her arms as she glared down at the floor. "He tripped me 'cause he thought it'd be funny, so all I wanted to do was kick him in the throat. I think for what he did that's being _nice_, Thrax."

Thrax sighed. "Scorch-"

"No!" She stomped her foot, looking up at him now. "Don't _do_ that! He was mean to me, so go beat the _capsid_ off him!"

He groaned, then put his hand on her shoulder. "Sorcha, look. I told you, life ain't fair. You can't just kick somebody in the throat because 'he was mean to me'. If they hit you, _then_ you can hit back."

"But he-"

"I know, he tripped you. I know, baby sis. But I didn't see it - maybe it really _was_ an accident, Scorch." He stood up, walking over to the main area. "And besides, you too little to fight by yourself. You need my help. And if I don't think I should, I can't fight for you - and if you fight without me, you gonna get your capsid handed to you."

She followed him to the other room, but she was pouting. "I changed my mind, Thrax," she declared. "I don't wanna be here anymore. I wanna go home, _take me home_."

"Too bad, you wanna go home. That's too bad, baby sis." He grabbed her arm and lugged her over to a couple of empty chairs by the wall. "You begged me to let you come, so you gonna stay. Now sit."

She did so, but then squirmed. "I don't like these chairs."

He sat down beside her, groaning inwardly. Taking care of Sorcha did make him feel so grown-up and a lot older than just ten, but he wished she wouldn't whine so much. "Just keep your mouth shut and listen. And stop movin' so much."

After about thirty seconds of Sorcha fidgeting and Thrax sitting there, trying to pretend like he didn't know her, one of the bigger, older viruses smacked the wall. "Hey yo!" he shouted. "All you little _kid_ pathogens better listen up here! Me and my girl are about to give you guys the scoop! So if you want _the best_ ways to get into bodies and the best techniques for killin' 'em, you better shut your Jane-damned feedin' holes!"

From the corner of his eye Thrax saw Sorcha sink down in her seat a little. "He said a bad word," she mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Shut up," Thrax warned lowly, reaching over and placing his hand on Sorcha's knee. "Just listen, Scorch, and don't say nothin'."

He (and hopefully Sorcha) turned his attention back to the front. A female virus had joined the other. "Okay now!" the guy called over everyone. "My name's Jolt, and this here's my girl Venom." He wrapped an arm around the girl's waist. "And we're gonna teach you _newbies_ the best way to take down bodies... _and_ take 'em down without anyone barely knowin' till it's too late!"

Everyone cheered and clapped, Thrax included. He didn't go crazy like the others, but he did clap furiously and even whooped once. When he glanced over at Sorcha, she was simply twirling her finger, as if to offer a sarcastic _Whoopee_. He elbowed her. "Hey. You better stay awake, baby sis. _You_ wanted to come, you ain't just gonna sit there and pout. Pay attention."

"I _am_," she shot back. "But that guy seem like a jerk."

Thrax scoffed. "Baby sis, we _all_ jerks. We _kill_ people."

Her bottom lip stuck out, and he was just about ready to snap his sunglasses back off her little face. "I dun like it when you right, Thrax."

He shook his head and reached over, taking her hand and placing it on top of her leg, holding it there. Maybe if he was touching her, holding her hand, maybe she'd stop being so moody. It usually worked; hugs worked better, but he wasn't going to _hug_ his _sister_ in front of his peers, and _especially_ not with two professional pathogens up there watching everyone. "You just keep it calm, alright, Scorch?" He just rolled his eyes when she thrust out her lip again. "And wipe that nasty look off ya face. Look like ya swallowed a buncha bile or somethin'."

"I tol' you I wanted t' leave," she muttered, sliding down in her seat.

He sighed and patted her hand. "Just hang in, baby sis, you gonna get some good teachin'."

Her hand gripped his. "_Fine_. After this I wanna go get donuts 'fore we go home."

"With what money? Or were you plannin' on usin' yo' cute face for that?"

Sorcha's hand hovered over the pocket of her jeans. "I got some carbs saved up, but if you ain't nice to me I ain't buyin' you _nothin'_."

Thrax chuckled and squeezed her hand. "Alright, I'll be good. Now, you watch..." He used his new claw (it was growing a little more every day) to push some of her hair behind her ear. "And _listen_."

"Appreciate the acknowledgment," Jolt shouted as the applause and cheering died down. "You obviously know we're good. Now, first thing I'm gonna tell you is this: me, I am an Ebola virus. You dig? And Venom here, she's my sweet little MRSA." He leaned over and nipped at Venom's neck before continuing. "So, you know, how we do things might be just a _little_ different from how _you_ would do it." He tossed his hair back. "Alright, movin' on. Who can tell me what the first step to infecting a body is? Anyone know yet?"

Thrax looked around to all the other pathogens who had begun furiously chatting between each other, discussing what they thought the answer was. Seeing a chance to show off, he raised his hand up, making sure to wave the growing claw. "You lay low and do some damage!"

Jolt laughed. "Oh look here, we got somebody who's payin' attention." He pointed at Thrax with his long, forked tail, snaking it around. "You! Look at you, l'il smart-ass in training. That's a good guess, you know, and yeah, that's important. But it ain't the first step. Nice try, anybody else wanna give it a shot?"

Thrax sighed, scowling down at the floor. That was right, wasn't it? The first thing you did to infect was find somewhere that wouldn't draw suspicion, and you surreptitiously killed some cells or messed up some buildings. Stuff that wasn't too serious, but that would do _something_ to get the infection rolling.

From beside him, Sorcha piped up and interrupted his brooding: "You enter the _body_, you buncha stupids! That goes wit'out sayin' and _none'a you_ could get it!"

Immediately there was a roar of people who obviously took offense, especially since she was way younger than all of them. But Venom whistled and that shut everyone up, as Jolt was laughing. "Well! Look at this, we got us a little smarty-pants."

"Told you to keep ya mouth shut," Thrax groaned. They were going to _destroy_ her...

"She right, you know." Jolt put his fists on his hips, curling his barbed tail into a corkscrew and pointing it at Sorcha. "How old are you, runt?"

"I'm seven an' a half, and I _ain't_ no runt," she responded, jumping up out of her chair.

Thrax grabbed her arm. "She's my baby sis, she don't like bein' called little."

Jolt snickered, and Venom grinned. "She smart. You might wanna start her tryin' to infect sooner than normal."

Thrax rolled his eyes, and yanked Sorcha back into her seat. She beamed over at him, obviously proud and clearly seeking approval since she'd gotten one thing right already.

He gave her a _"burn-baby-burn"_ look, and that was that, and she returned to staring at the floor.

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><p><strong>Hope you guys liked! I love writing this, it's so awesome and fun.<strong>

**Alright, so... reviews are nice. Maybe if you read it, you could give me one? I only have one so far, and it's very lonely... it needs some friends, just like Thrax needs a thicker capsid so he doesn't get mad at Scorch for stealing the spotlight... XD**

**Okay then! Thanks for reading, and bye-bye for now! ^^**


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